With the closure of USAF operations does anybody know what will happen to the F-5 Replica current on the gate. Whilst I understand it is a replica it appears to have with stood the weather well and should make an interesting addition to any museum. One would hope that it does not come under the NMUSAF rules and a ‘gifting’ arrangement made.

Arrangements have already been made for the future safekeeping of the F-5 replica (and it won’t be moving very far at all 😉 ), however it will remain in place at the base entrance until final closure.
Needs a bit of structural maintenance urgently though, the nose has started to sag slightly in recent months and the strong winds last week had the whole thing bouncing on its supporting girders a fair few inches.

It should also be noted that the ARG Archive at Alconbury has the ever-growing Alconbury Heritage Collection on display and the Stirling Project are also elsewhere on site, plus the base itself has a dedicated heritage room.

Click on the arrow next to where it says “Posters” and select “Stills”.

P-51D bomb rack innards for comparison Denis. 🙂

There’s a complete wartime USAAF HILV runway light unit prominent in the opening Hoth hangar sequences of Empire Strikes Back.

There were five fatalities. I think I read that three truckers are commemorated from that day on the Wall of the Missing at Madingley. Presumably the USAAF made up two coffins with all the pieces they found and buried those?

I’ve posted this elsewhere before, but it’s worth repeating here:

The 2218th Quartermaster Truck Company (Aviation) unit diary refers to six drivers killed in the explosion at Metfield.
They would have been based at the Earsham ordnance depot at the time.

Checking the ABMC roll for that unit gives only three of the names, all were killed on the 15th July 1944 and have no known grave.
All three are recorded on the Wall of Missing at Madingley Cemetery.

Private Donald P. Adkins, U.S. Army Air Forces
Service # 35350614
2218th Quartermaster Truck Company, Aviation
Entered the Service from Indiana

Private First Class Donald L. Hurley, U.S. Army Air Forces
Service # 35619775
2218th Quartermaster Truck Company, Aviation
Entered the Service from Ohio

Private Steve W. Suchey, U.S. Army Air Forces
Service # 34197931
2218th Quartermaster Truck Company, Aviation
Entered the Service from Alabama

All the best,
PB

…the exhaust section is stamped FBFW 108

FBFW 108 is an inspector’s stamp (FBFW = Fisher Body, Flint West). There should also be a part number on it somewhere.

Stainless panel 6 inch across marked GK32G1101

GK32 = Ford-built B-24 item, Gxxxx suffix indicates fuel system component.

Exhaust panel 8 inch across marked 1-16607-6

B-17 exhaust ball joint assembly component I believe, 1-16604 through 1-16606 certainly are.

All the best,
PB

The print appears to have been located by the evening of the 14th.

It could possibly be the remains of a 4.5″ Target Indicator Flare.